1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a shielding connector and a wire harness using the shielding connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,471 discloses an example of an electric wire-side shielding connector. The electric wire-side shielding connector has a female housing and a plurality of female terminals accommodated in the female housing. The female terminal fittings are connected to electric wires. A die cast tubular shielding shell is fit on the female housing from the rear end so that the shielding shell covers the female housing. An elastic locking piece is provided on the female housing elastically locks a locking part on the shielding shell. Thus, the female housing is accommodated in and locked to the shielding shell. Open ends of the bundled braided wires are caulked and crimped to the periphery of the shell.
The electric wire-side shielding connector is fit on an equipment-side shielding connector that has a male housing with male terminals accommodated therein. The connection may be carried out with assistance of a boost mechanism, such as a wrench. The male housing is covered with a shielding shell and the shielding shells are connected to each other when the housings are connected.
The shielding connectors can be unlocked from each other so that the electric wire-side shielding connector can be pulled out of the mating equipment-side shielding connector. The terminals in this type of the shielding connector are large and are fit on each other with a large contact pressure. The housings also are connected to each other with a large frictional force. The forces that are needed to separate the two connectors also urge the shielding shell rearward relative to the female housing. The engagement of the elastic locking piece and the locking part is intended to prevent the shielding shell from separating from the female housing. However, there is a fear that the excessively large force required to separate the connected terminals and the connected housings could displace the elastic locking piece sufficiently to separate the shielding shell from the female housing. The elastic locking piece could lock the locking part over a large area to prevent separation of the shielding shell from the female housing. However, a large locking area requires a large space to accommodate the displacement of the elastic locking piece in an unlocking direction. Thus, the housing and the connector become undesirably large.
The invention has been completed in view of the above-described situation. It is an object of the invention to fix a housing to a shielding shell at a higher force without making the housing large.